Telematics units within mobile vehicles provide subscribers with connectivity to a telematics service provider (TSP). The TSP provides the subscriber with an array of services ranging from emergency call handling and stolen vehicle recovery to diagnostics monitoring and turn-by-turn navigation. Telematics units are often provisioned and activated at a point of sale when a subscriber purchases a telematics-equipped vehicle. Upon activation, the telematics unit is utilized to provide a subscriber with the telematics services.
As smartphone use has become more and more prevalent among the general population, a variety of applications have been developed that allow users to monitor and control their vehicles from their smartphones. For example, a user can install a smartphone application that allows the user to remotely start the vehicle's ignition, check fuel levels, unlock doors, and perform a variety of other functions with respect to the vehicle. Furthermore, smartphones often include functionality that is helpfitl to a user while the user is driving—e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) technology that allows the user to obtain driving directions and view the vehicle location on a display. Smartphones may be used in combination with or as a replacement for services provided through a vehicle's telematics unit.
The above body of information is provided for the convenience of the reader. The foregoing is a discussion of problems discovered and/or appreciated by the inventors, and is not an attempt to review or catalog the prior art.